By Steve Sucato

Who the f-word is Attack Theatre? Those words were uttered in frustration by a famous rock singer some years back after Attack’s longtime music director, Dave Eggar, told them he couldn’t perform with them because of a prior commitment with the small-scale Pittsburgh dance troupe.

Rock star aspersions aside, Attack has answered the question of who they are over the past 30 years, delighting audiences around the globe with a signature approach to dancemaking that blends physical dance-theater with thought-provoking subject matter. The collaborative modern dance company often fuses live music, multimedia, and interdisciplinary art to inspire, intrigue, and wow audiences in both traditional and non-traditional performance spaces. In addition, the company’s tailored education programs have brought the marvels of dance to thousands in the Pittsburgh-area and beyond.

Founded in 1994 by married couple Peter Kope and Michele de la Reza, the company has collaborated with Quantum Theatre, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Symphony, Pittsburgh Opera, and many other organizations.

The company continues its Pearl Anniversary season with the world premiere of Once in a While, February 27 through March 7 at Attack’s Studios in Lawrenceville. The 70-minute production created by de la Reza and Kope in partnership with The Owsley Stanley Foundation is “powered by the music of the Grateful Dead, where music becomes memory, movement becomes meaning, and light finds us when we least expect it.”

I recently spoke with Mr. Attack Theatre himself, Peter Kope, about the company’s latest production, Once in a While, and about what keeps him going after 30 years.

How did you get connected with The Owsley Stanley Foundation and its mission of preserving the “Bear’s Sonic Journals” archive? 
Hawk, the executive producer of The Owsley Stanley Foundation, a former Attack Theatre board member, and Michele [de la Reza] have been talking about collaborating for several years. With Once in a While, they finally found a way to make that happen.

Why the Grateful Dead and their music? 
Michele and I were at the last Grateful Dead show in Pittsburgh before Jerry Garcia passed away in 1995. I have always loved the Dead’s music, the community and camaraderie of Grateful Dead fans at concerts, and that whole jam-band aesthetic. So there was a natural way for us to work with The Owsley Stanley Foundation, with Stanley’s connection to the band as its sound engineer and his live recordings of their music. 

What Grateful Dead songs are you using? 
We are having a special soundtrack created for the work using unreleased recordings of band banter from the foundation’s archives alongside songs from the Dead’s live albums. Some of the songs being used are “Shakedown Street,” Scarlet Begonias,” “Box of Rain,” and “Uncle John’s Band.” 

Did the work’s title come from the lyric in “Scarlet Begonias?” 
That was an unconscious coincidence. We had come up with the work’s title before someone we work with pointed that out to me. The fact that an opportunity to explore the dead’s music and our connection to that culture and community comes around only once in a while has been the driving force behind this production. Michele and I are not necessarily people who made it into the Dead’s shows, but were the kind who made it into the campground outside the show with the band’s fans and could hear the music in the background.

How is that connection to the culture and community of the Dead’s fans being manifested onstage?
For me, how it manifests onstage is in the connection between the people doing the dance steps and those little moments of intimacy, which are similarly found in the fan community at Grateful Dead concerts. We demonstrate that sence of community in our dances through partnering, phrase work, and the personal dynamics of the dancers.

I understand that for this production, you are raiding Attack’s toybox for props and scenic elements, including scaffolding, swings, and ramps. What determines when a work needs those types of elements and when it doesn’t?
For this production, we built the scenic world first, envisioning a Grateful Dead post-show campsite as a playground where people interact around a shared experience. That world appealed to me. We have access to a lot of materials, and this seemed like an opportunity to bring together some of those big elements for a new crop of Attack performers to explore. 

Attack Theatre is not your average dance company. What do you look for in hiring new dance artists?
I look at their personality and point of view. Someone who expresses an interest in trying different things and is interested in the creative process. Attack Theatre is generally not a tell me what to do place when creating new works. One of the biggest things we look for is someone who has the ability, strength, and self-awareness to speak their mind. That’s a wonderful thing to have in the room.

Thirty years is an important milestone. What keeps you going? 
I love what I do. I am still curious about so many things, and I dream of movement sequences. I enjoy the challenges of unique spaces and going from an opera performance, where we interact with a giant tree, to a Pittsburgh Symphony performance, where we are inspired by something from the 1920s, plus everything in between, such as developing our educational programs. I also value having our son grow up in this arts world milieu we have surrounded ourselves with. One of partnership, collaboration, and connection with our neighbors and those in our community. That even includes asking the delivery guy to take a look at something we’ve created to see what he thinks and being authentically interested in his response. That is how we like to exist as dance artists. 

Attack Theatre presents Once in a While, Friday, February 27, 2026, at 7:30 pm ( VIP reception at 6:45 pm), Saturday, February 28, at 7:30 pm, Sunday, March 1, at 2:30 pm, Thursday, March 5, Friday, March 6, and Saturday, March 7, at 7:30 pm. Attack Theatre Studios, 212 45th Street, Lawrenceville, PA. General Admission tickets are $47.25 each with fees and $26.25 each with fees for Students, Educators, and Seniors. For tickets, visit attacktheatre.com/once-in-a-while
Please note: This performance includes water-based theatrical haze and strobe lighting. 

**Special Companion Events**

Join Attack Theatre for pre-show and post-show events in the studio and throughout Lawrenceville

Pre-show Listening Session:
‘Dose Your Ears’ on Bear’s Sonic Journals with the Owsley Stanley Foundation
Saturday, March 7 at 6:30 pm
Owsley “Bear” Stanley was the first sound engineer for the Grateful Dead and the visionary behind the Wall of Sound. As the sound man for the Grateful Dead and many others, he recorded every artist who performed through the PA systems he designed. He referred to these recordings as his Sonic Journals. Join us as Hawk, Executive Producer of the Owsley Stanley Foundation, offers a rare glimpse into Bear’s legendary archive of tapes, including never-before-released recordings from Grateful Dead and other artists. Experience this curated listening session before Attack Theatre’s final performance of Once in a While on Saturday, March 7, at 6:30 pm. This event is free for anyone who has purchased a ticket to any of the performances. 

Opening Night Double Bill:
Once in a While followed by Beatles vs. Dead at Thunderbird
Friday, February 27
Make it a night out in Lawrenceville and join Attack Theatre for the opening night of Once in a While. Then, head down the street to our friends at Thunderbird for their Beatles vs. Dead concert.

Post-show After Party: Cast Party at Cork Harbour Pub
Sunday, March 1
Join Attack Theatre after Sunday’s show for a pint at Cork Harbour Pub to celebrate the cast and crew of Once in a While, and Attack Theatre’s 30th anniversary. Patrons will receive 10% off their bill with a ticket to the show (pre- or post-show). 

Post-show: Live Set with Pappy from theCAUSE
Thursday, March 5
Stay after the show on Thursday, March 5, for a live acoustic session with Pappy from theCAUSE, Pittsburgh’s Jam Band, playing tunes fromthe  Grateful Dead and more.

Post-show After Party: New Amsterdam with Cold Friends Kitchen
Friday, February 27
Saturday, February 28
Thursday, March 5
Join Attack Theatre (just across the street) at New Amsterdam for a post-show party! Show your server your ticket from the performance and receive 10% off food and beverage.